5 Everyday Things You Can Do To Keep Back Pain Away!
5 Things to Keep Back Pain Away
What if by being Proactive, rather than reactive you can keep back pain away.
Most people only decide to do something about their aches and pains when it starts to affect their everyday life.
Whether this is that it stops them doing things they enjoy, they start to have to rely on painkillers or it has a negative impact on being able to perform daily tasks or work commitments.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! We don’t have to wait until our body is in pain. We can start by being more aware of our daily habits and actions that may contribute to causing pain, if not corrected.
If you suffer from back pain read on to find out about small changes you can make to your daily habits to start to banish back pain for good.
Also, if you want to prevent getting back pain give this article a read.
Prevention is better than a cure!
Be More Active
Our bodies are designed to move! We need adequate movement daily to keep our joints mobile and increase blood flow to our muscles to stop us seizing up.
Stiffness leads to aches and pains, especially in the back.
We also need to be ensuring that we use our muscles to keep them strong whilst also protecting our bone health.
Try to be mindful of moving as much as possible throughout the day.
Where possible get out for a walk – simple but effective.
Avoid prolonged periods of sitting.
If you have a sedentary job, ensure you get up regularly for little breaks to stretch your legs (at least every hour). Think about moving around when on the phone.
Maybe even consider getting a sit to stand desk to vary your position throughout the day.
You would also benefit from practicing simple mobility exercises (neck turns, shoulder rolls, spine twists…) that will help keep your joints and muscles moving freely and easily.
For more guidance on exercises like this join our Free Facebook Group
Switch Sides
We all tend to have a dominant side of the body which we overuse. By doing this we create muscle patterns of weakness and tightness that can lead to back pain and other aches and pains.
Consider daily actions you repeatedly do throughout the day such as standing with your weight shifted to one side, opening doors, use of equipment at work…
You will always do these things without thinking, with your dominant side.
So, try to be more mindful and switch sides as often as you can throughout the day.
Another thing to consider is how you carry your bags and carry the kids/grandkids.
I know from experience that you will always use the same side.
This is a postural issue I see a lot with women in my Pilates classes.
Carrying heavy handbags around constantly on the same side makes them have a slopey shoulders. It looks like they’re carrying the bag permanently and can cause muscular scoliosis.
Parents or grandparents with little children can have a tilted pelvis from always hitching up the hip for the child to sit on.
Both these two things and many other things we may do without realising, can lead to back pain if not addressed.
Try to be mindful when carrying out day to day actions and see if there are positions we sit and stand in or actions we do regularly that we can adapt.
Remember to switch sides as often as possible to stop bad postural habits forming.
Correct Imbalances
As I mentioned in the last point, using one side more than the other causes imbalances throughout the body which leads to back pain.
Look at ways to correct your imbalances.
Start by being mindful of not overusing a particular side and switch sides as much as we can. Where possible adapt our movements to encourage more symmetry.
Then consider performing simple Pilates exercises that will help you to strengthen weak areas, increase flexibility in tight areas and overall improve your posture and core strength. This will enable you to move more freely and easily and improve your imbalances.
For advice and tips on Pilates exercises you could do, join our FREE Facebook Group where we have collated lots of Pilates exercise videos that you can follow.
If you would like more personalised advice and guidance then why not try our 21 day Pilates Programme. For more info about this click on the link below:
21 Day Pilates Programme
Stop Slumping
Try and correct yourself when you find yourself slumping.
To do this sit up tall, bring your shoulders up towards your ears then retract your shoulder blades and imagine placing them into your back pockets of your jeans.
This will not only stop you putting unnecessary pressure on your spine but will also allow you to breathe better.
But don’t think you have to sit permanently in this position, as this would not only be unrealistic but also uncomfortable.
Correcting yourself and sitting for a short period of time with good posture will create muscle memory over time and become more natural.
It also stops you overstretching the muscles in the back and stretches the muscles in your chest, that become short and tight if slumping consistently.
Be Proactive
Rather than wait until the pain is bad, think about a maintenance programme you could do to eliminate the back pain occurring in the first place.
You could start by using some of the tips above.
You could also find out your triggers, what is causing your back pain, when it occurs and what things you can do ease it and prevent future occurrences.
When you have a bad day, ask yourself what things you have done that could have contributed to pain and if you have practised the things that day that you know helps.
For more information about what could be causing your back pain, read my article below about common causes of back pain
The Cause of your Back Pain
Let’s not allow back pain to just be part of our life’s.
Use the tips I’ve shared with you to create your own maintenance programme and share with us in our Facebook Group how you get on.
Being proactive is key to keeping back pain at bay!